Penultimate
by Ibelin
Summary: Grievous captures Chancellor Palpatine. Obi-Wan has a plan to rescue him. It's safe to say no one is impressed. Alternatively titled: They say Anakin Skywalker is the reckless one (but that's just what they want you to believe).


_"Are you coming, Master?"_

 _"Oh no, I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the Council. Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy."_

 _"Hold on, this whole operation was your idea."_

* * *

The bridge of the _Vigilance_ was a hub of ordered chaos. A steady stream of comm chatter precluded any possibility of silence, but status updates and check-ins were the only sort of communication exchanged among the dozens of clones at their posts. Anakin Skywalker stood at the dead center of the bridge, arms crossed and scowling; behind him, posture only slightly less tense, stood Admiral Yularen. Both of them had their attention fixed on the holotable currently displaying a diagram of the notorious Separatist dreadnought _Invisible Hand_ , and both the Jedi and the admiral looked intensely displeased.

Anakin turned slightly, flicking his gaze away from the hologram just in time to glare as the doors behind him opened. "Obi-Wan. There you are."

"Here I am," Obi-Wan agreed. Joining them in front of the holotable, he was followed by Commander Cody, who took up his customary position behind and to the right of the general.

"We're just about to come out of hyperspace."

Eyebrows lifting in response to the reprimand in Anakin's tone, Obi-Wan replied, "The chrono tells me we still have over five minutes."

"Well, good for us." Anakin snorted, turning back to the diagram of the ship. He jabbed the button to make the hologram slowly rotate. "We still have no idea how to approach the fight we're about to drop right into the middle of."

"The first concern will be the blockade Grievous will have doubtless set up to welcome us."

"That won't be too much of a problem," said Yularen. "If, as our information indicates, the main Separatist fleet is massed over Coruscant, we'll be able to overwhelm the blockade and be on top of them before they can swing about in enough numbers to stop us."

"Obviously!" snarled Anakin. The blockade was a non-entity. The entire Third Systems Army versus whatever paltry contingent Grievous had assigned to anticipate their arrival? Not even a contest. Indicating the floating diagram with an exaggerated sweep of his hand, he said, "Theproblem is the fleet, and we can't deal with the rest of the fleet until we deal with Grievous. And we can't deal with Grievous at all, because he has Chancellor Palpatine as a hostage!" None of this would have happened if he'd been on Coruscant like he'd known he should be. And now... "Grievous is untouchable."

Obi-Wan was a calm pillar of concentration beside him in the Force. The kind of calm that Anakin wanted to beat until it broke. "Not quite. It will be impossible to harm the _Invisible Hand_ without harming the chancellor too, of course. But Grievous himself is not synonymous with his ship."

Anakin sighed. "Master." Now was not the time for hints and implications.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan's tone demanded acknowledgement and, though Anakin's jaw was set and his eyes narrowed, he met his master's gaze. It pinned him expectantly, demanding the appearance of the Jedi inside Anakin that sometimes even Anakin himself didn't really believe was there, under layers and layers of cocky hero and frightened boy. "Anakin, we _will_ rescue Chancellor Palpatine."

Was the Force telling him that? It was telling Anakin no such thing.

Quietly, Obi-Wan added, "This is not your fault."

Anakin looked away, again focusing doggedly on the hologram of the _Invisible Hand_. It would be a very strange universe if everything Obi-Wan Kenobi said was true. "What are you thinking, Master?"

"I'm thinking that, although we won't be able to target Grievous with the laser cannons or anything so quick and messy... a small strike team would probably be able to work its way inside the _Invisible Hand_."

"You want to board Grievous?" demanded Yularen. "General Kenobi, you have to know that will be impossible in the presence of the entire Separatist fleet. Achieving a secure dock for even an instant -"

"I was thinking air insertion, actually."

Yularen's mouth open and closed silently. He turned to Anakin, as if expecting some explanation, but Anakin was busy staring at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan tilted his head, flicking his bangs out of his face, and stared back. Was that a challenge?

"We won't actually be able to land starships inside the _Invisible Hand_ ," he pointed out.

Yularen scoffed. "Forget landing. The ship's shields, fighters, flak cannons and ion cannons will make it impossible for you to even approach."

"If you say so, Admiral." Obi-Wan rotated the hologram of the _Invisible Hand_ until the stern of the ship was facing them. "Of course, this could never be done with something like the _Malevolence_. But the _Invisible Hand_ began its life as a Trade Federation carrier. It's been heavily modified and retrofitted to serve as Grievous's flagship and this area where these hangar bays are formerly housed nothing but the secondary reactor bay." Indicating two hangars set into the rear of the dreadnought like narrow, gaping mouths, Obi-Wan then crossed his arms, surveying the diagram thoughtfully. "It's not exactly as well-protected as you'd expect a hangar bay to be, is it? In fact, I'd hazard a guess that there isn't a single flak cannon within range."

"There's still the shields, but the generators that specifically protect the hangar bay are vulnerable. I could probably blast them during the approach," said Anakin. This might actually work.

"I thought you might be able to. And with the distraction of a full engagement to keep Grievous's attention..." Obi-Wan's shoulders rolled in a shrug. "A team of say, two, could likely make it."

"How would you make certain that Grievous doesn't simply stay true to form and make his escape the minute the battle turns against him, or he figures out what you're up to?"

"The planetary shields," said Obi-Wan and Anakin together, grim determination heavy in the Force.

Trapping the Separatist fleet under Coruscant's deflector shields would keep them from escaping, spiriting the chancellor off to an unknown location, and prolonging the war for another indefinite eternity. It would also mean enormous amounts of collateral damage, as every single ship shot down would collide with the planet's unprotected surface, burning, crushing, and destroying.

They spent a long moment staring at the blue outline of the _Invisible Hand_ , each seeing visions of the battle ahead of them conjured by an imagination too-well informed by long experience. Then, Yularen said, "Well. I won't say likely, but I suppose it is possible."

Obi-Wan smiled, and Anakin again narrowed his eyes.

"You're taking this really well for someone who doesn't like flying, to say nothing of crashing."

"Crash-landing."

"I told you, Master, there's no way we'll be able to land. It'll be a controlled crash, at best."

"Well, I can't really complain about something I myself suggested, can I?" Obi-Wan leaned into Anakin's space, jostling his shoulder in a way that Anakin might have mistaken for accidental if he were anyone else. "But I'll be sure to blame you when something goes wrong, if it makes you feel better."

"Thanks." Anakin clouted Obi-Wan back with a flick of his own shoulder.

"You think it can be done, though?"

A slow sigh pulled its way out of Anakin's chest. "I don't see another way. We have to get the chancellor out before we can destroy Grievous. So, yes. I think we can do it."

Cody cleared his throat pointedly behind them, and Obi-Wan's failure to acknowledge him was strange. Anakin had to do it himself. "Commander?"

"General," said Cody, directly to Obi-Wan, "I don't like the idea of you going in with no backup and no extraction plan."

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes widening as if this were a brand-new concern. As if every battle in the last four months hadn't been accompanied by strains of, 'For the love of Kad Ha'rangir at least wear some armor this time, boss.' Clearly, they'd had this particular conversation before - maybe even been in the middle of it when Obi-Wan had arrived on the bridge. "Would you prefer to fly in with us, Cody?"

The commander gave Obi-Wan such a stony look that Anakin had to be impressed. No one had the chance to retort, though, because the short, sharp wail of an alarm filled the room, bringing everyone to attention. The Third Systems Army was about to leave hyperspace.

"Somehow I don't think Master Windu will be particularly fond of this plan either," Obi-Wan murmured.

Yularen braced himself on the holotable as the bridge crew prepped for arrival and the complete unknown state of Coruscanti space. The bridge viewport showed only the blur of hyperspace for a few more seconds and then, with a familiar recoil of the Force, they dropped back into reality. Coruscant was a sphere of uneven light in the distance. What looked like a swarm of insects massed one side of the planet, but of more immediate concern was the Separatist welcoming committee.

It was small enough, as they had predicted, and the admiral was immediately focused like a guided missile on his own task: getting the fleet through to Coruscant. Moving away to the very front of the bridge, he left the Jedi to the question of what was to happen when they actually got there. As if on cue, the holotable began to beep with the warning sound of an incoming transmission.

Obi-Wan's attention still fixed on the unfolding conflict, Anakin sighed and reached to allow the transmission. "Master Windu will like whatever gets him results," he said, and then paused as a thought suddenly struck him. Finger poised over the button to accept the transmission, Anakin added slowly, "You're going to tell him it was your idea, though."

"Of course." The gaze Obi-Wan turned towards him was clear, but Anakin narrowed his eyes.

As if they hadn't both done their parts in the past to reinforce their personal dichotomous narrative: Anakin as the reckless one, and Obi-Wan as the cautious master. It was fun sometimes, playing up a role and watching planetary politicians or the media dance like puppets on a string, with no idea they were being manipulated. This, however, was not something Anakin had any particular desire to get the credit for.

With one last warning frown at his master, Anakin punched the command key to allow the incoming transmission through.

Instantly, the image of Grievous's flagship was replaced by a holo-image of Master Windu. It was a half-body projection, slightly smaller than life-size, and Master Windu's arms were firmly crossed as he took them both in with an even glance. Anakin hooked his thumbs in his belt and resisted the impulse to straighten to attention.

"Master Windu," said Anakin, and Obi-Wan inclined his head in a slight bow.

"Master Kenobi. Skywalker. Your arrival comes not a minute too soon."

"We are engaging with the Separatist blockade at the moment, and should be through to Coruscant swiftly," Obi-Wan told him. "Does the situation remain the same as it was?"

"Unfortunately, it does. All our available forces have been deployed, but no other reinforcements have arrived and we are still vastly outnumbered. At the same time you were summoned, transmissions were sent to the 327th Star Corps and-"

"Too far away," Anakin interrupted, shaking his head.

Master Windu's hologram surveyed him for a moment. "Indeed. For the most part, it seems we are on our own. So far, our efforts have concentrated on keeping Grievous from leaving the system with the chancellor, and depleting the rest of the Separatist fleet."

So, effectively accomplishing nothing. The resignation passing between Anakin and Obi-Wan in the Force would have been wry, if they both hadn't been so tired. If you want something done right, call the Team to do it for you.

"Has a strategy to rescue the chancellor been decided upon?"

"Possibilities have been discussed. Unfortunately, they are limited," said Master Windu. "Forcing the _Invisible Hand_ to land is one option." They all knew the odds against successfully executing that tactic. Almost the entire Separatist fleet would have to be destroyed first, and even then Grievous would have ample time to kill Chancellor Palpatine before any Republic forces could stop him. "We cannot allow Grievous to leave Coruscant with the chancellor as his prisoner. The choice may be between preserving the chancellor's life, or ending the war."

Anakin bristled, ready to sink his teeth into someone, but Obi-Wan beat him to it.

"Perhaps. But not quite yet, I think, Master. We were looking at the schematics of the _Invisible Hand_ on the way here... I believe there may still be a way to save the chancellor's life while keeping Grievous in the system."

"I would be grateful to hear it, Obi-Wan."

Watching Master Windu as Obi-Wan described his intention to fly single-person fighters through the massive battle above Coruscant and then force a landing inside the _Invisible Hand_ , Anakin didn't think gratitude really described his reaction. He frowned, eyes narrowing.

For a minute, he looked at Obi-Wan as if he thought he'd misheard him. When he was offered no further clarification, Master Windu said, "I assume you've thought the rest of this through as well." It was not a question.

"I-" Obi-Wan had to pause as a cataclysmic roar shook the ship. The _Vigilance_ 's deflector shields absorbed the impact of the ion cannon blast, and Obi-Wan spared a frown for the battle outside the viewport. One of the Separatist ships was already scrap, floating in pieces like so much space junk, and the fleet was in the middle of dismantling the remaining one.

"You'll be alone, with no possibility of backup," Master Windu pointed out.

Anakin could feel the suppressed buzz of how much Cody wanted to speak up, but discipline overruled impulse and he remained silently at attention beside Obi-Wan.

"Even if you manage to make it onto the _Invisible Hand_ , then you will still need to find the chancellor among hundreds of decks, approximately one and a half million battle droids, Grievous himself, his bodyguards, and whatever else is concealed on that ship. And after all of that, it will still be impossible to send anyone in to extract you, or get a secure enough dock with the Invisible Hand for you to get off with the chancellor." Master Windu raised his eyebrows, emphasizing, "You will have no way out except whatever escape you can make for yourself."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms across his chest, turning to tilt a questioning look at Anakin. What do you think? was the shape of the question pressed into the Force, and the answer was instantaneous. The quick give-and-take barely gave Anakin enough time to form a shrug that was unimpressed enough for Master Windu.

"Shouldn't be a problem," said Obi-Wan, turning back to Master Windu's holo-image.

Master Windu sighed. "Very well."

"As soon as we reach the atmosphere, the fleet will engage with the battle, pursuing the same strategy as your forces to make it seem like our aim is still to destroy the rest of the Separatist fleet and preserve the _Invisible Hand_ ," explained Obi-Wan. "Admiral Yularen and Commander Cody are more than capable of directing the battle-"

"-While Obi-Wan and I deploy our fighters with Red Squadron."

Red Squadron had been destroyed just a few days ago over Tythe, men and planes together, but new clone pilots had already be reassigned from other squadrons to fill the empty seats in Third Systems Army's most elite fighter squadron. It was a reshuffle that had happened countless times before, and moved with the seamlessness of routine by now.

"Some kind of a distraction while we're trying to make our approach would be helpful. Obi-Wan is right, that side of the _Invisible Hand_ is more weakly defended than others, but it's still going to be dangerous," Anakin added.

Master Windu gave a short nod. "At your signal, I'll have our forces prepared to mount an attack on the bow of the _Invisible Hand_. That should draw attention away from you."

"Thank you."

"And even if our mission should fail, Master Windu, you won't be completely out of choices."

Yeah, like blowing both Grievous and the chancellor to pieces in the Coruscanti atmosphere.

"Let us hope that will be unnecessary, Obi-Wan," said Master Windu, and for once Anakin was right there with him.

Both Jedi looked up as Admiral Yularen's voice rang out over the bridge. "Set course for Coruscant!" Both blockade ships were destroyed, and the _Vigilance_ only had to make a slight turn to carve out a direct path straight towards the main battle.

"Looks like we're headed your way, Master," said Anakin.

"I will await your signal." Master Windu gave a short bow. "May the Force be with you."

They returned the bow, and Obi-Wan replied, "May the Force be with all of us."

Once Master Windu's transmission had flickered out, Obi-Wan turned his back on the holotable, facing both Cody and Anakin. "Cody, command of the fleet will be the admiral's, and command of the troops will rest with you." A year ago, Obi-Wan would have said _with Padawan Tano_. "Your priorities are the same: to keep the _Invisible Hand_ from leaving Coruscant at all costs, to defend the planet as much as possible, and to destroy the rest of the Separatist fleet if you have the time."

"Yes, sir. Let me send some men in with you, sir." That had not been the subject under discussion, but Cody didn't seem to care. "Some of Red Squadron could make the landing."

"It'll be difficult enough for us to avoid detection just landing two starfighters, and once we're inside we have no idea what may be required of us."

"That's why you shouldn't go in alone, General."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not trying to be contrary, Cody-"

The commander's mouth pressed together tightly. "You're still doing an excellent job of it, sir, as always." Cody's dark eyes lit with a hidden amusement, even as his face remained impassive under Obi-Wan's glare.

Anakin had to grin. "He's right, Cody. This is a mission for Jedi. The landing alone - I'm not gonna watch half of Red Squadron turn to paste on the side of the _Invisible Hand_. And inside, the more people we have with us, the harder it will be for us to hide." He had a feeling that once they landed they were going to be at a constant dead sprint just to stay alive.

"Yes, sir," was Cody's reply, but he held tightly onto his dissatisfaction like a stone.

Looking Cody in the eye, Anakin said, "I'll take care of him. I swear."

Obi-Wan's silent sigh as they talked about him right in front of his face like he wasn't there came simultaneously with sharp flickers of irritation released into the Force. Cody's second "yes, sir" was in a much firmer tone, though, so Anakin just widened his eyes at his master and jerked his chin at the passage leading away from the bridge.

"Are you staying here, or coming with me to brief the squadron?"

"I'll come," said Obi-Wan, "but I appreciate you offering to let me out of your sight. It must have been very difficult for you."

As they turned to leave the bridge, Anakin waited for Obi-Wan to fall in step with him and then smirked. "Don't worry, Master, I'll keep you alive through the flight and the landing and then I'm not worried about the rest of the mission after that."

Scowling, Obi-Wan replied, "Well, if I'm going to be such a burden, perhaps I'd be better off staying here. You'll be able to handle it alone, won't you?"

"Maybe, I don't know." A slight smile still pressed at the corner of Anakin's mouth. "But it's not like I'd want to. Besides, all this was your idea," he said, slinging an arm around his master's shoulders. Obi-Wan bristled slightly before sighing into the contact, and allowing Anakin to keep him there.

After a moment, Obi-Wan tilted his head slightly and said, "So... you're 'not worried about the rest of the mission'?" His tone was neutral, exploratory. Anakin knew better than to think there wasn't a trap somewhere in a question like that.

"It sounds kriffing impossible," he answered honestly, "but I have been told not to center on my anxieties. And we have to do it, don't we? So, we will."

He could feel Obi-Wan turning that over in his mind, and absently waited to be told in what particular he had erred. Obi-Wan's reply, though, was only, "That does seem to be how things turn out, but - I don't think we will find exactly what we expect on the _Invisible Hand_."

Anakin squinted at him. "When do we ever?"

"I feel- I don't know- I feel as if the end is nearing."

"Of what? The war?"

"Maybe, probably. I don't know." Obi-Wan waved a frustrated hand. "What I mean to say is that I think... I think we will face tests, before the end. Both of us."

Crash-landing inside an enemy dreadnought and then making it out alive with a rescued prisoner did seem like it qualified as some sort of a test. "Okay, good to know." Anakin reached out to palm the door to the hangar bay where the fighters of Red Squadron were kept, but Obi-Wan caught his arm and pushed until they were facing each other.

 _"Anakin."_

"What?" asked Anakin, surprised.

Obi-Wan's hands braced on his shoulders. "What I mean to say is. I want you to be _careful_."

Fixing his master with a skeptical stare, Anakin crossed his arms. "I will if you will."

"I'm serious, Anakin. And I don't mean just physically. Something is- Just be careful."

Anakin nodded slowly, still taken aback at Obi-Wan's sudden intensity. "Yeah, okay. I will, Master."

Obi-Wan's grave blue gaze studied him for a moment longer, and then he sighed. Finally, he shook Anakin's shoulders slightly, and released him with a huff. "Well. I suppose I can't expect an overabundance of caution on this mission, can I?"

"You can expect, but that doesn't mean the universe will deliver." Anakin thought about being vaporized, about all of them - Grievous, the chancellor, he and his master - raining down on Coruscant as so much dust. They'd fought on planets where detritus in the atmosphere from exploding star destroyers had blotted out the sun for weeks. Pausing, Anakin pointed at the hangar bay door. "Can we go in now, or do you have more vague advice to give me?"

"Oh, just go." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and Anakin suppressed a smile as he pressed the touchpad. Ducking under the doorframe into the hangar, Anakin thought he heard a muttered "you're going to be the death of me" behind him, but that was probably just his imagination.

Besides, if they got killed today, it was definitely going to be Obi-Wan's fault. After all, this was his plan.


End file.
